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Q&A – Laura Fraser (Lydia Rodarte-Quayle)

Actress Laura Fraser, who plays Lydia Rodarte-Quayle on Breaking Bad, talks about why she had to flee America for the summer and how her character is like Darth Vader.

Q: Last season, Lydia was almost toast. What did you know about her going into this season?

A: It was scary. I kind of felt that her life was always in danger, and she could go at any point. I never really felt safe. I think Vince Gilligan said she’s like Darth Vader in Louboutin. I feel like the last couple of episodes this season, her humanity is compromised beyond redemption; she’s teetering on the edge and I don’t know if she’ll ever escape the dark side.

Q: Lydia doesn’t always do a good job of keeping quiet. Have you been able to keep your lips sealed about the show’s ending?

A: I live in upstate New York, but I’ve been out of the country for a couple months, just hanging out with friends and family. I was worried that I was accidentally going to disclose something and go, “This is how it ends!” so I sequestered myself here. I was a wee bit worried at first, because I didn’t really know how you do this little thing of teasing a story line, and I’ve just kind of copied the other actors. It does initially seem extremely strange to talk about something without talking about it.

Q: Tell me a little bit about the underground meth lab you visit with Todd. Had you ever been to a subterranean lair like that before?

A: Oh yeah I go to subterranean meth labs like that. I love them, I have one in my home! I loved shooting that; I thought that set was brilliant. As I read it, and saw what she does, it was like there was another level of her as a demented sociopath. She’s bonkers!

Q: Todd comes on to your character a bit this season. How do you feel about people who flirt in work situations?

A: Another creepy little layer to Todd. It’s not right! I always think about Todd and Lydia. Lydia is not well, so how sick is Todd that he has a crush on her? They’d make an interesting little couple. It’s a shame for Todd though because Lydia is using his puppy dog crush as a way to manipulate him.

Q: Lydia struggles with the quality of her product after Walt leaves the game. Have you ever been in charge of a group of people who were just not delivering the goods?

A: Yeah, my family every day. [Laughs] I’ve always been an actor, a lowly actor without power, so I’ve never been corrupted. I’ve never even directed.

Q: Last season you said Jonathan Banks was an intimidating presence on set. Now that he’s gone, did Jesse Plemons, or Michael Bowen strike fear in your similarly?

A: All the guys on Breaking Bad are really gentle and gorgeous creatures. The guy, who plays one of the baddies, [Uncle Jack]’s sidekick — one minute we were talking about how his wife was going to give birth, and a second later he’s back to his neo-Nazi persona.